LA Times Crossword 18 Mar 21, Thursday

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Constructed by: Joe Deeney
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): Consider This!

Themed answers are common phrases reinterpreted as “consider (something)!”:

  • 16A “No, no, more user-friendly than DOS. __!” : PICTURE WINDOWS!
  • 25A “No, no, flatter than sharks. __!” : FIGURE SKATES!
  • 40A “No, no, bigger than Humvees. __!” : THINK TANKS!
  • 52A “No, no, scarier than iguanas. __!” : IMAGINE DRAGONS!

Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 8m 48s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Winnipeg NHLer : JET

Winnipeg’s professional hockey team is the Winnipeg Jets. The team was founded as the Atlanta Thrashers in 1999 and relocated to Winnipeg in 2011. The new team name was chosen in honor of the Manitoba city’s former professional hockey team called the Jets, a franchise that was founded in 1972 but relocated to become the Phoenix Coyotes in 1996.

10 Retirement outfit? : PJS

Our word “pajamas” (sometimes “PJs” or “jammies”) comes to us from the Indian subcontinent, where “pai jamahs” were loose fitting pants tied at the waist and worn at night by locals and ultimately by the Europeans living there. And “pajamas” is another of those words that I had to learn to spell differently when I came to America. On the other side of the Atlantic, the spelling is “pyjamas”.

13 Tailless primate : APE

Apes and monkeys both belong to the order of primates. The most obvious way to distinguish apes from monkeys is by the presence or lack of a tail. Almost all apes have no tail, and almost all monkeys have tails.

14 Low-ranked British peers : BARONS

In Britain, there are five ranks of peers. They are duke, marquess, earl, viscount and baron, in descending order.

15 “La Bamba” star __ Diamond Phillips : LOU

Lou Diamond Phillips is an American actor who was born in the Philippines. His big break came when he was cast in the lead role of Ritchie Valens in the 1987 biopic “La Bamba”.

“La Bamba” is a 1987 biopic about the life of singer Ritchie Valens. Valens is played by Lou Diamond Phillips, in his breakthrough role. The Ritchie Valens songs shown in the movie were all performed by Los Lobos, a casting that gave the rock band their big break as well. The Los Lobos version of the title song “La Bamba” topped the charts around the world.

16 “No, no, more user-friendly than DOS. __!” : PICTURE WINDOWS!

MS-DOS (short for “Microsoft Disk Operating System”) was the main operating system used by IBM-compatible PCs in the eighties and for much of the nineties. Microsoft introduced the Windows operating environment in 1985 to sit above MS-DOS as a graphical user interface (GUI). That move was made in response to the success of Apple’s GUI released with the Lisa and Macintosh platforms. A court case ensued, one that was eventually settled in court in favor of Microsoft.

21 Hogwarts letter carriers : OWLS

In the “Harry Potter” universe, messages are sent by owl post, which uses owls as mail carriers. Hedwig is the owl belonging to Harry Potter. Hedwig is a female owl, although she is played in the movies by male snowy owls. Male snowy owls are completely white, whereas females have dark patches on their plumage.

In J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” universe, the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was founded by the four most brilliant witches and wizards of their time: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. Each of the founders lent their name to a House in the school, i.e. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin.

22 Throws a bomb, in football : GOES LONG

A bomb is a long pass in American football, for which a receiver would have to “go deep”.

25 “No, no, flatter than sharks. __!” : FIGURE SKATES!

Skates (formally “Rajidae”) are a family of fish in the superorder of rays (formally “batoidea”). Skates look very similar to stingrays, but they lack stinging spines.

29 Some Strads : CELLI

The word “cello” (plural “celli” or “cellos”) is an abbreviation for “violoncello”, an Italian word for “little violone”, referring to a group of stringed instruments that were popular up to the end of the 17th century. The name violoncello persisted for the instrument that we know today, although the abbreviation “‘cello” was often used. Nowadays, we just drop the apostrophe.

Generations of the Stradivari family produced violins and other stringed instruments, the most famous of which were constructed by Antonio Stradivari.

30 Hosiery hue : TAUPE

Taupe is a dark, gray-brown color. The word “taupe” comes from the Latin name of the European Mole, which has skin with the same color.

The word “hose” meaning “covering for the leg” has the same roots as the contemporary German word “Hose” meaning “trousers, pants”.

32 “The Great” pope between Sixtus III and Hilarius : ST LEO I

The first pope named Leo is now known as Pope Saint Leo the Great. Leo I is famous for meeting with the feared Attila the Hun and persuading him to turn back his invading force that was threatening to overrun Western Europe.

34 “Peanuts” character spelled with a hyphen until 1981 : PIGPEN

Pig-Pen is the kid in the “Peanuts” cartoon strip that is always dirty. Charles Schulz, the strip’s author, said that Pig-Pen was one of his least favorite characters, and he almost disappeared from the later years of “Peanuts” comic strips.

35 __ chi : TAI

More correctly called “t‘ai chi ch‘uan”, tai chi is a martial art that is mostly practiced to improve overall health and increase longevity.

40 “No, no, bigger than Humvees. __!” : THINK TANKS!

“Humvee” and “Hummer” are nicknames for the military vehicle developed by AM General. The full name is High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle i.e. HMMWV, or simply “Humvee”.

43 Former Cubs exec Epstein : THEO

In 2002, Theo Epstein was hired as General Manager by the Boston Red Sox. Epstein was only 28 years at the time, making him the youngest GM in the history of Major League Baseball.

45 Hardy heroine : TESS

In Thomas Hardy’s novel “Tess of the d’Urbervilles”, the heroine and title character is Tess Durbeyfield. Her father is an uneducated peasant and when he hears that his name is a corruption of the noble name of “D’Urberville”, the news goes to his head.

46 Watchdog gp. created under Nixon : OSHA

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was created in 1970 during the Nixon administration. OSHA regulates workplaces in the private sector and regulates just one government agency, namely the US Postal Service.

51 Two cents : INPUT

To put in one’s two cents is to add one’s opinion. The American expression derives from the older English version, which is “to put in one’s two pennies’ worth”.

52 “No, no, scarier than iguanas. __!” : IMAGINE DRAGONS!

Iguanas have what is known as a “third eye” on their heads. Known as the parietal eye, it can sense levels of light, although it cannot make out details.

60 Asian honorific : SRI

“Sri” is a title of respect for a male in India.

61 Leaves befuddled : STUMPS

Back in the early 1400s, the verb “to stump” meant “to stumble over a tree stump”. In the early 1800s, the meaning extended to mean “to baffle, bring to a halt by introducing obstacles”.

To be befuddled is to be confused. Originally, back in the late 1800s, that confusion was specifically caused by liquor or opium.

62 Org. created in response to 9/11 : TSA

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was created in 2001, soon after the 9/11 attacks. TSA personnel carry out the baggage and body searches at US airports. The TSA has a Trusted Traveler program that allows certain passengers to move more quickly through security screening. These passengers pay the TSA a one-time fee that covers a background check after which successful applicants are issued a Known Traveler Number (KTN).

Down

1 Mocking remark : JAPE

“To jape” means “to joke or quip”. The exact origins of “jape” are unclear, but it does seem to come from Old French. In the mid-1600s, “to jape” was a slang term meaning “to have sex with”. No joke …!

3 Georgia __ : TECH

The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly “Georgia Tech”) is located in Atlanta. The school was founded in 1885 as part of the reconstruction effort to rebuild the infrastructure in the South after the Civil War. President Theodore Roosevelt delivered an address to the school in 1905, and then shook hands with every single student. Back then the school didn’t have over 20,000 students as it does today …

4 Disney monkey : ABU

Abu is a monkey in the Disney production of “Aladdin”. The character is based on Abu, a thief in the 1940 film “The Thief of Baghdad”.

5 Mop manager? : BARBER

Barbers originally offered a wide range of services, including surgery. Back in the Middle Ages, one of the primary services offered was bloodletting. The red and white sign outside a barber’s place of business represented bloody bandages wrapped around a pole. Henry VIII restricted barbers to just haircutting … and dentistry. Our term “barber” comes to us via Anglo-French from the Latin “barba” meaning “beard”.

7 IKEA kit pieces : DOWELS

The IKEA furniture stores use the colors blue and yellow for brand recognition. Blue and yellow are the national colors of Sweden, where IKEA was founded and is headquartered.

8 City about 250 miles NNW of Dallas, TX : ENID, OK

Enid, Oklahoma takes its name from the old railroad station around which the city developed. Back in 1889, that train stop was called Skeleton Station. An official who didn’t like the name changed it to Enid Station, using a character from Alfred Lord Tennyson’s “Idylls of the King”. Maybe if he hadn’t changed the name, the city of Enid would now be called Skeleton, Oklahoma! Enid has the nickname “Queen Wheat City” because it has a huge capacity for storing grain, the third largest grain storage capacity in the world.

The settlement that was to become the Texas city of Dallas was established in 1841. The settlement became a city in 1856, and owed its early growth to the construction of railroads starting in 1873.

9 Govt. ID : SSN

The main purpose of a Social Security Number (SSN) is to track individuals for the purposes of taxation, although given its ubiquitous use, it is looking more and more like an identity number to me. The social security number system was introduced in 1936. Prior to 1986, an SSN was required only for persons with substantial income, so many children under 14 had no number assigned. For some years the IRS had a concern that a lot of people were claiming children on their tax returns who did not actually exist. So, from 1986 onward, it is a requirement to get an SSN for any dependents over the age of 5. Sure enough, seven million dependents “disappeared” in 1987.

11 Fleshy fold : JOWL

The term “jowl” can be used for the jaw or cheek, and more specifically for a fold of flesh hanging from the jaw.

17 Alt-tab function : TOGGLE

On a Windows computer, the Alt-Tab keyboard shortcut allows a user to switch between open windows.

18 GI ID : DOG TAG

The identification tags worn by soldiers are often called “dog tags”, simply because they do resemble tags worn by dogs. US military personnel are required to wear dog tags when in the field. Each soldier wears either two tags or a special tag that breaks easily into two identical pieces. The idea is that if a soldier is killed, then one half can be removed for notification and the remaining half stays with the body. Each tag contains basics such as name and ID number, medical information like blood type, and possibly a religious preference.

24 Turkey, for one : NATION

Turkey is a country that straddles the border between the continents of Europe and Asia. Even though most of Turkey lies geographically in Asia, in recent decades the country has been strengthening its ties with its European neighbors. Turkey is a member of NATO, and was well on the way to becoming a member of the European Union until EU members started calling out human rights violations in recent years.

25 Brine-cured Greek cheese : FETA

Feta is a Greek cheese made from sheep’s milk, or a mixture of sheep and goat’s milk. The cheese is salted and cured in a brine solution for several months before it is eaten.

27 Travel authorization for citizens of a 27-mem. union : EU PASSPORT

As a result of a League of Nations conference in 1920, passports are usually written in French and one other language. French was specified back then as it was deemed the language of diplomacy. US passports use French and English, given that English is the nation’s de facto national language. Spanish was added as a language for US passports in the late nineties, in recognition of Spanish-speaking Puerto Rico.

29 Winter hrs. in IL : CST

Central Standard Time (CST)

33 Wasn’t present? : ISN’T

The word “wasn’t” becomes “isn’t” in the present tense.

34 Education support gps. : PTAS

Parent-Teacher Association (PTA)

38 RB stoppers : DTS

In football, a running back (RB) might be stopped by a defensive tackle (DT).

41 With 42-Down, city on the Pearl River Delta : HONG …

42 See 41-Down : … KONG

Hong Kong became part of the British Empire after the First Opium War in 1842. In 1898, Britain signed a 99-year lease to retain control of Hong Kong. That control ended 99 years later in 1997 with a formal transfer of sovereignty back to China.

44 Round-tripper : HOMER

That would be baseball.

51 Brand with a paw print on its logo : IAMS

Iams dog food was introduced by animal nutritionist Paul Iams. He felt that household pets were suffering somewhat by being fed a diet of table scraps, so he developed a dry dog food that he felt was more nutritious and suitable for pet dogs. He founded the Iams company, now part of Procter & Gamble, in 1946.

54 Long-legged runner : EMU

Even though emu meat is classified as a red meat because of its color, it has a fat content that is comparable to other poultry.

55 Lake Mead creator : DAM

When the magnificent Hoover Dam was completed in 1936 it was the largest hydroelectric plant in the world, as well as being the world’s largest concrete structure. The edifice was originally known as Boulder Dam, due to its location near Boulder City, Nevada. The dam was eventually named after Herbert Hoover for his role in having the dam built when he was Secretary of Commerce, and his later support as US President. There was a formal dedication ceremony held in September 1935 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt was in the area, when only work on the powerhouse was incomplete. President Roosevelt managed to make his dedication speech without once referring to the name of his former opponent President Hoover. When the dam was finally put into service in 1936, the project was two years ahead of schedule. Those were the days …

The reservoir on the Colorado River known as Lake Mead used to the largest reservoir in the US. Located outside Las Vegas, drought and increasing demand for water has shrunk Lake Mead so that now Lake Sakakawea on the Missouri in North Dakota has a larger surface area and volume of water.

56 Genre for Master P or Heavy D : RAP

“Master P” is the stage name used by rapper Percy Miller. As well as rapping, Miller knows his way around a basketball court. He had a player’s contract with two professional basketball teams, although he never actually played a regular game.

“Heavy D” was the stage name of singer Dwight Myers, a Jamaican-born American rap artist. Heavy D died in 2011 from a pulmonary embolism at just 44 years of age. He had just taken a flight from Europe back to the US and developed deep vein thrombosis in one of his legs. Part of the clot broke off and traveled to his lung where it killed him. My wife developed deep vein thrombosis from prolonged sitting on a plane some years ago. She is very careful to keep moving around now when she flies, and for good reason …

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Winnipeg NHLer : JET
4 Dwellings : ABODES
10 Retirement outfit? : PJS
13 Tailless primate : APE
14 Low-ranked British peers : BARONS
15 “La Bamba” star __ Diamond Phillips : LOU
16 “No, no, more user-friendly than DOS. __!” : PICTURE WINDOWS!
19 Make the same point as : ECHO
20 Ran : BLED
21 Hogwarts letter carriers : OWLS
22 Throws a bomb, in football : GOES LONG
25 “No, no, flatter than sharks. __!” : FIGURE SKATES!
29 Some Strads : CELLI
30 Hosiery hue : TAUPE
32 “The Great” pope between Sixtus III and Hilarius : ST LEO I
34 “Peanuts” character spelled with a hyphen until 1981 : PIGPEN
35 __ chi : TAI
36 At home with : USED TO
39 Also mention : ADD
40 “No, no, bigger than Humvees. __!” : THINK TANKS!
43 Former Cubs exec Epstein : THEO
45 Hardy heroine : TESS
46 Watchdog gp. created under Nixon : OSHA
49 Traffic signals? : HORNS
51 Two cents : INPUT
52 “No, no, scarier than iguanas. __!” : IMAGINE DRAGONS!
57 Bottom line : NET
58 Polite refusal : NO, MA’AM
59 Numbered hwy. : RTE
60 Asian honorific : SRI
61 Leaves befuddled : STUMPS
62 Org. created in response to 9/11 : TSA

Down

1 Mocking remark : JAPE
2 Really cool : EPIC
3 Georgia __ : TECH
4 Disney monkey : ABU
5 Mop manager? : BARBER
6 Promise of dire consequences : OR ELSE!
7 IKEA kit pieces : DOWELS
8 City about 250 miles NNW of Dallas, TX : ENID, OK
9 Govt. ID : SSN
10 Clear of snow : PLOW
11 Fleshy fold : JOWL
12 Puzzle (out) : SUSS
17 Alt-tab function : TOGGLE
18 GI ID : DOG TAG
23 Yves’ eager assent : OUI OUI!
24 Turkey, for one : NATION
25 Brine-cured Greek cheese : FETA
26 Uneducated group : ILLITERATI
27 Travel authorization for citizens of a 27-mem. union : EU PASSPORT
28 Zoomed : SPED
29 Winter hrs. in IL : CST
31 Terminate : END
33 Wasn’t present? : ISN’T
34 Education support gps. : PTAS
37 Stretch (out) : EKE
38 RB stoppers : DTS
41 With 42-Down, city on the Pearl River Delta : HONG …
42 See 41-Down : … KONG
43 Starts to disperse, as a crowd : THINS
44 Round-tripper : HOMER
47 Looks for : HUNTS
48 Befuddled : AT SEA
50 Serious violations : SINS
51 Brand with a paw print on its logo : IAMS
53 Punctuating word indicating sarcasm : … NOT!
54 Long-legged runner : EMU
55 Lake Mead creator : DAM
56 Genre for Master P or Heavy D : RAP